Infection
by HealingWaters
Summary: With the release of the Wii U, more fighters are being considered for the roster for the next installment of Smash Bros. It is tradition that with each installment, a fighter gets chosen by Master Hand himself, and he goes out of his way to pick out a girl from a faraway world no one has heard of. However, before the girl even joins, some strange things happen in Smash mansion...
1. Something Out Of This World

**Robin's POV**

One thing Robin always loved about living in the Smash Mansion was how diverse the culture was. He found it intriguing and mind-boggling at times, and he couldn't help but keep note of all the strange but fascinating instances that resulted from this. For example, there are many types of humans from different realms, with different cultures. Some fighters weren't even human at all. The tactician couldn't even begin to comprehend the phenomena of how in the world did Smash get a hand on _himself but gender bent._ It was one of the many things that made this place special, and he hadn't even scratched the surface at that.

Another thing that never ceased to amaze Robin, was how fast the mansion would evolve. One moment, they would have 30 Smashers, and the next they would have 10 more, with rooms ready to accommodate their interests, their style, their culture, and even how they organize. For example, at this moment, Robin, along with several others, were looking at the wide screen TV above the doors of the cafeteria. A special announcement had just come up regarding the next tournament, and everyone wanted to see what it was about.

The Smash Bros. symbol came up for a few moments before fading into showing the view of an office. There was a desk, made of some sturdy oak, which was brightly polished into a shiny brown. On top of the desk was a microphone connected to a stand. Behind both of those things was the being in-charge of this establishment. Master Hand. Everyone cheered upon his appearance, for he was known for his sacrifice to keep his Smashers safe from Taboo. Although Robin wasn't there to see it himself, he has heard high praise about this hand, so he always tries his best to pay him respect.

As if Master Hand heard the applause from the TV screen, he paused until the clapping had stopped. Then, with his calm, yet warm and inviting voice, he spoke.

"Attention Smashers!" He started slow, yet with vigor, "It is my pleasure to announce that this year's tournament is a success! We will have another tournament in the upcoming season!" Again, he paused as if he knew that he would be met with a chorus of cheers from the fighters. The gloved hand knew how important the tournaments were to the Smashers, and he did his best each year to deliver. "With that being said, we are campaigning for future Smashers to be added to the roster next season. If you may, please check your phones- a survey has just been sent to each one of you."

Robin, along with many others, felt a vibration in his pocket. He took out his phone from his robe and sure enough, there was a mass survey just sent to him via text. Upon this, chatter bubbled up in the cafeteria. Everyone was excited about this survey, and rightfully so.

"With this survey, you will be able to vote **one** person in the roster. Once it is sent back, I will personally look through all of your answers and do an evaluation to see if that being will be sent to Smash." The hand then paused for a moment, perhaps for dramatic affect, "Anyone can be referred to Smash as long as they know how to fight!"

Robin looked at his twin from across the table. She met his gaze. Both smiled and nodded, knowing that they were going to refer the exact same person. The exalt of Ylisse. Robin couldn't wait to see his friend's face if he got the acceptance letter. It would be priceless.

"One more thing," Master Hand added, hints of a smile in his tone," There is this one being in particular I've got my eyes on. She is different, and definitely there is more than meets the eye when it comes to her. This fighter in particular comes from a world not known...it's best if you see for yourself."

The screen then faded to black and all chatter ceased. Curiosity swept over everyone, leaving them silent in their own wonderment. Robin looked at the TV, his eyes glued to it. When it came to rosters, Master Hand always chose one fighter himself, which is a big honor. This year's pick was Bayonetta, and that was because of a combination of favoritism from viewers and her unique fighting style. Robin could only imagine who and why this new fighter was chosen.

On the corner of the screen, red lettering that read "Live" appeared. The Smash Bros. symbol came up again before disappearing and showing the landscape of the world where the prospective Smasher resided.

The camera panned to a forest area, where giant mushrooms grew the size of trees, and trees grew larger than that. A cobblestone path wound down the was of those woods, and was possibly laid there to make travel easier. The bright blue sky was blocked partly by the giant leaves. Robin easily compared this scenery to one from Mario's world. Maybe this was where the fighter was from?

However, despite the pleasant scenery, Robin could tell that something wasn't quite right. Something was off. Unsettling. Yet, it was so subtle, he couldn't tell what it was.

The camera kept on moving through the forest, only to find a temple. This stone temple was covered in vines, and it was just passed a bridge that allowed people to cross a babbling brook. It was then that everyone saw someone traveling along the path.

The camera zoomed in on this person, and everyone leaned in to get a better look at her.

She was ethereal. Hauntingly beautiful. Although she was only just walking, her movements were so fluid and graceful it was as if she was floating. Her long and wavy red hair flowed freely and delicately around her hips, her pale skin was that of a porcelain doll. Her dress was white, and the skirt was as if it was made of wisps of air, not fabric.

Her face, however, was concealed with a white mask, with a smile etched on it. A blue gem rested on her forehead in the shape of a heart. _What an odd mask_ Robin thought. _I've never seen one like it._

On her right hand was a sword, which was curved in a way that would make it ineffective to use in battle.

As she slowly approached this peaceful temple, the shadows casted by the sun above came to life. Some were big, some were small. They all came at this fighter, who seemed to be unaware of their presence.

She then slowly turned, the once light grip she had on the hilt of her sword turned tight. A chuckle came from her, which sounded rather warped, as if the mask had affected her voice, "Really? Is that all you can do? At this point, this is starting to become a chore!" A tint of mischievous tone crept on her voice, before she raced over to the shadows.

"Wow!" Sonic nearly jumped off his seat at that, a wide smile on his face, "I didn't expect her to be a speedster!

"Of course she is!" Robin's twin, which everyone affectionately called Reflet, responded with the same excitement of the blue hedgehog," Having grace is akin to having control and being lightweight- You might have a run for your money with this one Sonic!"

"Guys! Look!" From the other side of the room, Pit shouted, pointing at the screen with awe," _She's floating!"_

At that, everyone's attention went back to the TV, and indeed this mystery girl was floating much like Palutena would. Robin watched as the girl skillfully did combos with her sword, and analyzed her technique. With her demented looking sword, she wasn't going to do much damage with it. Her speed may save her if she makes enough combos, however...

At that moment, the red head blew a kiss to the shadow. A heart came from where her lips were supposed to be, and flew to the shadow, stopping it's movements,"Paraly-kiss!"

To that same shadow, she reached out towards it, a beam made with hearts coming out of her hand and sending the shadow backwards, "Heart Stopper!"

She then turned to the shadow approaching behind her, it's claws stretching to reach her, "Star Struck!" She crouched to the ground and a star-shaped shield appeared, blocking the attack before doing a parry.

Then multiple shadows surrounded her, and Robin legitimately thought there was no way out for this girl until...

"Night Flight!" As if her dress were a squid, she swam in the air away from danger and landed to a safer place on the ground.

As the Smashers watched her fight, they cheered for her. Robin couldn't help but grab one of his tomes that he always carried around him and took notes. Later he would share them with Reflet and transcribe them on a proper notebook, but from what he could see, the reason why Master Hand was interested in this girl was her technique.

Soon, the screen faded to black once more, and the TV once again showed Master Hand in his office.

"What you guys all saw were live footage of a Masked Master named Vee." The gloved hand started," She is from a world of enigma, paradoxes, and many strange phenomena. The world of Tricksters. Although you may have not noticed, nothing about what you just saw was as it seemed. I can't tell you guys more, since it would ruin the surprise her character brings. Other than that..." Master Hand paused- however, this pause was different. Robin could feel the hairs in the back of his neck stand when he saw the silent hand, being quiet for one second too many. Maybe Master Hand was sick?

"Other than that," Master Hand tried again, clearing his throat," I hoped that the live feed was good enough content to suffice for now. This has been Smash News. Thank you for watching."

The TV then shut off. With all this new exciting news, everyone immediately burst into chatter about the next tournament, the survey, and the possible new fighter, Vee.

However, Robin couldn't help but wonder. What did Master Hand mean about Vee and her being not everything as it seemed? What was a Masked Master? More importantly, is Master Hand alright?

But then, the Tactician was shaken off his thoughts by his twin, who was excitedly chattering about Chrom, and Robin decided to put his worries at bay for now.


	2. Birds Of A Feather

**Robin's POV**

As soon as lunch was over with, The Robin's made their way immediately to the Library, notebooks and quills in hand. After seeing this new girl work her magic, they needed to discuss everything about her, from praising her skills, to her weaknesses. Hey, if she WAS going to participate in the next Smash tournament, the Robin's needed to know what made her tick and how to beat her accordingly.

The twin tacticians made it to the front desk, where Marth had just resumed his responsibilities of being the Librarian. The bluenette smiled, his blue eyes almost closing in the act," What can I do for you guys today?" He said with a slight Japanese accent," Some new books on tactics came in today- and Reflet, the book you ordered should be in by tomorrow. I'll send you a text when it comes in so you can pick it up then."

Robin couldn't help but return the Hero-Prince's smile. After getting over the initial shock that they were going to fight with _the Marth,_ the Robin's ended up being good friends with him. Being friends with the Librarian of Smash had it's many perks," No Marth, we are here to see if our usual table is free."

"Ah. Already about to discuss the new Smasher, are you?" Marth chuckled before grabbing his thick and heavy book of reservations. Since Smash didn't have any formal schooling, some tables in the Library were reserved to teaching the young minds. After a quick flipping of several pages, Marth nodded," Your table is free. No reservations were made at this time. However, your usual table is reserved at 6:00 tonight, and another table near yours is having a Book Club meeting. So please keep it down."

The Robin's nodded sheepishly in agreement. Reflet glanced away from the Prince while Robin nervously scratched the back of his head. Whenever they usually went to their table, which they had unanimously called The Tactician's Corner, the Robin's usually had passionate debates...which ended up disturbing other Smashers more often than not. If it weren't for Marth's patience, they would have been most certainly banned by now," Alright Marth, we promise we will keep it down this time." Robin responded.

"Hey Marth, before we go, can we see one of those new tactic books you were talking about?" Reflet said, unable to hold down her desires.

The Librarian before them raised an eyebrow, hands on his hips," Just one? I'm rather surprised."

"Maybe...two?" Robin grinned, unable to keep down his excitement as well.

Marth paused, a serious look on his regal face.

"Okay all of them." Reflet said a bit childishly, holding out her arms while Robin followed suit. Marth shook his head, chuckling. He knew the tacticians couldn't help themselves.

A few moments later, 5 heavy books with different covers were in each of the tacticians arms, making 10 total. Although they couldn't see, the Robin's turned away from Marth's desk and walked off," Thank you Marth!"

"Don't hurt yourselves!" Marth called back, which made the twins chuckle. Marth was like a mother to them in the sense that he would feed them knowledge and then worry if they were going to trip or pull and all-nighter trying to process it.

The Robin's slowly made their way to the table through instinct, taking time to marvel at he peaceful scenery that they could see by turning their heads to their side. Robin would always be in awe at how many books this mansion had. It was like in that one Disney movie that Peach put on for Movie Night, _Beauty and the Beast._ Books were neatly arranged in several shelves, piled high into the endless walls, just like in Beast's castle. Robin remembered that in the scene where the Beast had surprised Belle with such a library, he felt really touched at the gesture. Meanwhile, Reflet, was holding onto his arm, nearly sobbing. It was the most romantic gesture either of them had seen.

As they walked, Robin saw various Smashers. Kirby and some of the other child Smashers were on a comfy mat, tuning in to Rosalina's story time. Captain Falcon and Samus were eagerly sharing a book on engineering, periodically pausing to put something on a blueprint. Jigglypuff fell from a ladder only to have Little Mac catch her, and then help her get the book she wanted. Robin could feel himself smile as he walked through the corridors of the Library, witnessing his fellow Smashers and friends enjoy their time here. This was one of the many reasons why he liked the Library so much. It brought so many people together for so many different reasons, be it to enjoy a book together or study together. Nothing beats opening the cover of a book- the cover to a brand new world.

Whilst thinking, the tactician bumped into someone, making him nearly drop his books. Right. The one disadvantage to having books piled so high was that he couldn't see forward.

Before he could fall or drop any of his books, two arms quickly went to his shoulders, balancing Robin. Robin turned to see who his savior was- and it was none other than Corrin: the male one.

"Sorry for bumping into you. You okay there, Robin?" The grey prince asked, letting go of the tactician with a smile," Need help carrying those books? It would be no problem at all, really." Before Robin could answer, Corrin already grabbed three of his books, balancing them ontop of his shoulder with his hand on the top so they wouldn't fall, "Here Reflet, let me get those for you." He took two books from her, resting them between his arm and hip," So where are we headed?" He asked with a brilliant smile.

"Tactician's Corner of course!" Reflect smiled back, before walking to the front of the two boys so she could lead, "Just follow me, okay? Thanks for helping us."

Corrin shook his head," Like I said, it's no problem. Walking around like that is pretty dangerous, so I'm glad I could prevent anything from happening."

Robin had to stifle a chuckle to keep quiet," No kidding! Last time we tried to make our way to Tactician's corner, Reflet tripped and-"

" _Shut it."_ His twin quickly turned her head to give him a glare, her face turning a bright red. Robin couldn't help a small cackle escape his lips, and it increased when Corrin looked his way with a confused look.

What happened was that Reflet fell and had a rather _interesting_ encounter with a certain Goddess, who she now avoided at all times. Robin didn't know why, but for some reason his twin was cursed with bad luck, which was _hilarious._

The rest of their travel was quiet, but their faces said it all. A flustered and angry tactician, followed by her smug twin, and a cluelessly happy grey prince. When they made it to Tactician's corner, Corrin dropped off their books at the table before waving goodbye and jogging off- he most likely helped the twin tacticians despite being late for something. Yet, it was Corrin's (and his twin Kaumi's) selflessness that made him Corrin.

The Robin's immediately settled down at their table, setting down their notebooks, their quills, and their new books aside neatly. Robin paused as he saw Reflet was still glaring at him, her pink cheeks bright in her embarrassment, "I thought we both agreed that never happened!" She hissed, before opening her notebook.

"Only you agreed that never happened. Palutena and I, however-"

"Shut up!" Reflet was quick to throw a piece of scrap paper at him, striking him right in the forehead.

Robin chuckled before opening his notebook, flipping to a new page, "Did you take a video of Vee's live feed?" He asked, changing the subject to spare his sister.

Reflet sighed thankfully, her blush still on her cheeks as she pulled out her phone," Yeah. I've been practicing on using my phone's recording feature, so in theory the quality should be good this time." She said as she placed her phone on the table and hit play.

Robin focused on the video once more, "Wow...this video IS better than the ones you have recorded. Less shaky, more focus, clear audio..." He looked right into his twin's brown eyes," Later, you have to teach me this technique."

Reflet gave him a near cocky smile," I will, but for now, let's focus on the newbie."

The male tactician checked the time on his phone quickly. It had just turned 1:00 and they had until 6:00. 5 hours. Not nearly enough time to fully analyze Vee, but enough to get started.

* * *

It was 5:30 and Robin couldn't tell how many times they had watched the video silently, just taking notes. By now, he was sure that if he closed his eyes, he could see the video replay in his head perfectly, as if he had ironically gained the ability of photographic memory. His eyes were burning every time he glanced at the screen of Reflet's phone, and he took a moment to look away from the screen, put down his quill and rub his eyes. At around this time, Marth came by with a cart of books to be placed back on their shelves. When he saw the two birds nearly burning out from exhaustion, he took it upon himself to quietly leave to a nearby water cooler to give them some water.

Once he placed the paper cups on the mahogany table, the Robin's finally broke out of their extreme focus. Ink-stained fingers gratefully reached out to grab the cups of water, which were finished in seconds. Marth took both cups when they were done, ready to refill them once more, "I suppose you two haven't started your discussion yet, have you?"

The tacticians shook their heads, clearly exhausted.

"...Maybe it's time you two got some re-"

"No!" Both Robin's came back to life at that, their flames of curiosity turning from mere embers to a blazing inferno. Marth clearly saw the determination in their eyes and decided to not push the subject further, sighing in defeat as he left to fetch them more water.

The Robin's traded their notebooks, eagerly reading each other's notes. Despite being essentially the same person, the Robin's had different outlooks on tactics, so one saw what the other didn't some times. Most of the time, however, their viewpoints were unanimous.

"So it seems we agree on move sets." Robin was the first to break the silence between the two, scanning the page his twin had wrote," Smash move: Heart Stopper. Side Smash: Paraly-kiss. Down Smash: Star Struck. Recovery Smash: Night Flight."

"She also seems to have a theme with dreams, as suggested by her attack names and the scenery she was in during the live feed." Reflet mused as she turned the page of her brother's notes," Which might explain the off feeling that you felt about all of this. Maybe the world she resides in is some sort of dream world. Maybe she lives in the realm of imaginary."

Robin was doubtful of this, his lips turning into a frown," Maybe so...Maybe not. I don't know. The whole thing was just unsettling to me."

Reflet nodded, frowning as well, "I knew that something was off about it, but I didn't know you felt so strongly about it. Maybe when she comes and joins the roster we can ask her. After all, the biggest source of information can come from the source itself."

Robin was still unsure about it, but in the end, he decided to drop it.

"I also noted that Vee moves similar like how Palutena does," Robin added," At first, she walks, but instead of running, she floats. From what the live feed entails, she might be able to have full control of her floating naturally, but when she comes to Smash, she will be required to wear bracers during battle to make it more fair." The bracers made fighters like Palutena and Sonic more weighted, so that they would be heavier and slower than they usually were- thus a more fair and balanced battle.

"To segway with that, I made the observation that Vee is not an aggressive fighter, but that is due to her stats." Reflet then started drawing a quick diagram on the next free page of Robin's notebook with her quill," Since her sword is curled like a spring, it can't be used effectively since it's not made to be sharp. Judging by her speed, her sword is made by some lightweight material, and it isn't made to do strong damage in general," Reflet paused to drink the water that Marth had brought by a while ago- both twins hadn't noticed he left," Due to her flawed sword and her light weight, Vee can't be an aggressive fighter and is instead a skillful fighter. She relies on secondary moves, her speed and her evasion to make powerful combos."

Robin nodded in agreement, making note to check out his twin's diagram for further study later," Good eye. Although I have to disagree with you. Can't one be both an aggressive fighter and a skillful fighter? She shows traits of both. Her attitude when approaching the shadows, the amount of fierce damage she does when attacking-"

Reflet rolled her eyes, shutting Robin's book and putting it to the side," Please, Robin. Her personality has nothing to do with how she fights. It's all about her methodology. Like us, she shows she is tactful by planning out her moves one step at a time. It doesn't matter how flashy she may be."

Robin took a sip of his water, starting to get slightly annoyed that his twin couldn't see eye to eye with him," Captain Falcon is both a skillful and aggressive fighter. In the middle of battle, he tends to switch strategy from using hard hitter moves to using quick combos. Bayonetta does that too. Both are cocky." He said with a smug smile. Check.

"Okay, but that's because they are _balanced_ fighters. They aren't too fast, they aren't too slow. They are average weight. They can afford to be both because they ARE both." Reflet explained as if she were speaking to a 5 year old instead of her equal. She was clearly annoyed too, "If they have enough health to risk being hit, they will go with an aggressive strategy. If they don't have that much health on the other hand, they will switch to something more defensive- skillfull fighting. Personality, again, has nothing to do with this." The female tactician returned his smug smile. Check.

Robin's smile faded into a frustrated frown, "Pit and Dark Pit have the same characteristics of your balanced fighters and they are both cocky." Check.

Reflet's smile grew bigger," Falco is cocky, and he is a strict _skillful_ fighter, due to his speed and lightweight frame. Your argument is falsified." Checkmate.

Robin groaned loudly, nearly slamming his notebook into the table before him," Okay, but we aren't talking about those people! We are talking about Vee."

The female tactician was practically beaming in her pride, "What, are you too stubborn to admit you lost agai-"

"Can you nerds shut up!" at that voice, both tactician's jumped, startled. Their debate had caused them to forget that they were in a library. Whoops.

Both Robin and Reflet turned their heads to see Dark Pit, his arms crossed at his chest and his permanent scowl etched into his face. His red eyes glared at the two. He was clearly fuming with anger," Some of use are trying to read you know!"

Reflet and Robin gave the dark angel an apologetic smile, but shared a confused glance for a millisecond. Weren't both angel's illiterate?

To answer their unsaid question, Pit strolled by their table, shamelessly holding a children's book titled _ABC, Learn With Me!_ "Hey guys! What's going on?" He asked with his usual happy-go-lucky smile. "For a second, I thought you two were fighting since I couldn't see what was happening from in the next aisle. Though, now I see everything is okay."

Robin shook his head, his annoyance having passed and a smile back on his face, "Oh no, everything is alright. We were just having a debate, that's all." From the corner of his eye, he saw Reflet give another smug smile, to which he made a fist under the table...which vaguely reminded him of some internet "meme" the light angel showed him once.

Dark Pit, however, was unamused," I don't care what you guys were doing. Keep it down." He grumbled, now tapping his foot impatiently," We were doing something important, and you guys ruined our focus. Come on Pit, let's go."

"No, wait Pittoo!" Both Robin and Reflet watched in amusement as Dark Pit's face went from annoyed, to both offended and annoyed," Why don't we study here! I'm sure Robin and Reflet won't mind, right?" Pit looked into both the tactician's faces for approval, excitement in his own face. When he saw both Robin's nod, the light angel fist pumped in the air, silently cheering," C'mon Pittoo! Let's get our stuff!"

Dark Pit groaned loudly, his dark wings deflating in defeat. He obviously wanted to keep whatever they were studying on between the two of them.

When they came back. Pit was holding his small book, a thin notebook, and a pencil. Dark Pit had a rather complex looking book with the same book Pit had obviously wedged in-between the pages, a thin notebook, and a pencil. Pit sat down next to Robin, happily opening up his book to resume learning how to read, practicing his letters. Dark Pit sat next to Reflet, scrambling to open both books to make it seem as if he were already reading one, yet the book on the outside was upside down. Both tacticians had to stifle a chuckle.

Robin clear his throat," So... it is agreed that Vee is a skillful fighter?"

Reflet nodded, "Yes. She is Or at least from what we can tell anyways. That live feed didn't give much on her anyways, so it could be very possible that we don't know the full extent of her powers."

"Are you guys talking about that masked lady?" Pit mused, pausing on writing a 'Z'. "What was her name- Vee?"

Robin nodded, excitement taking over his features once more, "Yeah- that's what we were debating about. We were just so curious on how Vee ticks- what makes her seem more than meets the eye."

Dark Pit, giving up on learning his alphabet for now, closed both books," Maybe it's that creepy mask she is wearing. You would think that with someone as graceful as she is that she would have a pretty face."

"I think the whole thing in general is kinda creepy, actually." Pit said sheepishly, "I don't know why, but the entire time I was watching the live feed, I was getting goose bumps- as if I were watching some horror movie. Like you know everything LOOKS fine...but actually, nothing is fine at all."

Robin nodded in agreement," Reflet and I were talking about that earlier, actually." He then turned to his twin," He put in words what I felt. The whole live feed was just...off."

"And it didn't help that after that, Master Hand started acting strange." Dark Pit added. He never acts like that, from what I've heard. It was as if his words just... escaped him or something."

Both Robin's had forgotten about that in their excitement over the potential newcomer. It was true, Master Hand has been acting strange as of late, but not to this extent.

"Maybe he is just sick," Reflet volunteered," Everyone has their off days, and Master Hand has been off for about maybe a week now. Maybe his sickness has finally hit it's peak."

This was followed from nods around the table. It was a very reasonable argument. Master Hand has been a bit sluggish, so it could have been some type of cold.

"Dr. Mario will probably be able to take care of him then." Robin smiled in relief, "That Doctor knows his way around any sickness, so Master Hand will be in good...uh...hands..."

Pit chuckled," I guess you could say Dr. Mario is pretty...handy."

Dark Pit groaned before faceplanting the table, "Stop. With. The puns. Right now."

Before Pit could continue tormenting his doppelganger however, a loud clearing of a throat was heard behind Robin. Everyone turned their hands to see Ganondorf, Palutena, Zelda, and King Dedede. They were carrying books about diplomacy. Robin checked the time. It was 6:00 on the dot. This table was now to be used for the Good-Evil Relations Club. The male tactician looked at the table...it was a mess. Notes were strewn about the place along with 10 tactic books opened in different pages. Paper cups were stacked and there were a couple of ink stains on the wood. Robin looked once again at the waiting Club,"...We will have this place cleaned for you in just a second."

"Good." Ganondorf huffed impatiently. Although he was known for having quite the temper, the Gerudo King kept it under control when in Smash, which everyone appreciated.

"Lady Palutena!" Pit cheered out happily, his white wings fluffing up, "I didn't know you had your Club tonight!"

His darker half sighed," She told us when she left to fight this morning, doofus."

Upon hearing the Goddess' name, Reflet's face turned a bright red. She hastily put the hood of her robe up to conceal her identity, before quickly and quietly cleaning up the mess. Robin's smug smile reappeared as he purposefully cleaned in a much slower pace.

Within minutes, clean up was done (Reflet made sure of that) and the quartet was on their way out of the Library. Since it was pretty late in the afternoon, a lot of the Smashers Robin had seen on his way to The Tactician's Corner were gone, and were instead replaced by little clubs here and there. When they made it to the receptionist desk, each person left their books with Marth, before heading out of the Library.

As soon as they were out, before Dark Pit could escape, Pit smiled and turned to everyone," Hey guys, since we are all here and curfew isn't until 10:00, why don't we go hang out and stuff!"

Dark Pit groaned, face palming as his chance to leave was gone," Okay, what do you want to do, Pit-stain?"

Before Pit could volunteer anything, a loud scream was heard nearby, causing the four to seize. Their bodies tensed as they listened, and then someone loudly crying could be heard. It was Villager.

The four reacted quickly, running down a hallway and turning right to see the small child crying on the ground, holding his leg as if it were hurt. With the brown haired boy was Link, who looked more shocked than Villager was. The swordsman was staring at his hands in mild terror. Pit immediately slid over to Villager with a concerned smile, ready to comfort. Reflet crouched down to Villager's leg, inspecting how it was hurt, and if he could walk. Robin and Dark Pit ended up playing good cop/bad cop with Link (You could guess who was who, and honestly, Robin thought that dark pit's interrogation was unnecessary).

"What the heck happened to Villager you giant booger!" Dark Pit growled, baring his teeth. Robin frowned as he held an arm up to get in-between the angel and the triforce wielder. One things for sure, Dark Pit did have a colorful vocabulary.

"Dark Pit, calm down." Robin then looked at the shocked blonde, "What happened?"

Link gathered his bearings once he realized he was being spoken to, but he couldn't wipe that shocked look off his face," I-I'm sorry, I..." He spoke softly, stuttering in nervousness,"...I don't know...I don't remember..."

"How can you NOT remember! You were like, right there man! Let me knock some sense into you-"

"Cool it." Robin harshly cut in once more, annoyed by the dark angel's lack of patience," Although this situation is indeed odd, fighting won't solve anything."

Dark Pit huffed, crossing his arms once more. That didn't stop him from giving the green man a death glare however. "..."

"Uh, guys," Reflet's voice made everyone look at her. She had a frown on her face," Whatever happened made Villager sprain his ankle. We have to take him to Dr. Mario. By the sound of it, we should also take Link there too for his memory loss." If there was anything that the twin tactician's knew was that amnesia sucked.

"I got him," Pit chirped before picking up Villager and gently putting him over his shoulder," Don't worry little guy. Once the Doc sees you, that ankle of yours will be brand new, just you wait!"

Villager stayed silent, wiping off the remainder of his tears, a frown stuck on his face. Villager silent was highly uncharacteristic of him. Like any other kid, he was mischievous, but he loved to laugh and smile and help around the mansion when he could. Since this clearly bothered Dark Pit, he stuck out his tongue at Villager. The Villager stuck out his tongue back. Robin couldn't help but chuckle at this exchange. Even though Dark Pit could have his moments, he was ultimately a really good guy.

During their trek across the mansion to Dr. Mario's Clinc, it was silent, save for Dark Pit and Villager making faces to each other the whole way. When the smell of rubbing alcohol and sterile equipment invaded everyone's noses, they heard a very iconic voice, laughing loudly.

Dr. Mario was escorting Pikachu out of the premises, and both were laughing loudly. Although it wasn't known well outside the mansion, Pikachu was actually quite the comedian.

"Aw Pikachu! You are such a riot!" The Italian doctor sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear, "I can't wait to see your performance this Wednesday- laughter is medicine for the heart you know!"

"Then why is it that people always say they die laughing Doc? How does that heal anybody?" Pikachu giggled as he readjusted his translator, "Anyways, I'll see you around!" And with that, the yellow pokemon hopped away.

Dr. Mario waved goodbye to Pikachu before looking at the group before him,"Er... What's-a going on here?"

Before Robin could respond, Dark Pit was quick to answer," The squirt here's leg's busted and this green bean has gone and lost his mind."

"Any idea how this happened?" Dr. Mario asked as he mentioned for the group to come further inside the clinic.

The clinic was an open area in the East Wing of the Mansion- 1st floor. You could instantly tell if you were near it if you could smell the rubbing alcohol in the air, but you could also tell if the walls went from blue, to a crisp white. Here, Dr. Mario's Clinic was more of a Hospital. It had everything in one tiny place, and it was specialized to treat Smasher's and the many world's they come from. Outside in Smash City, there were many Hospitals, but if you needed special and specific care, people were sent here.

Dr. Mario led everyone into a room used for checkups. To the right was Dr. Mario's desk and computer, where he would look for the medical records he needed. To the left was chairs for any other Smasher's to sit. Towards the back of the room was the gurney, along with other machinery Robin couldn't quite name. Pit placed the Villager in the gurney, while everyone else took a seat.

"We have no idea what happened," Reflet said, shaking her head," The four of us were outside the library when we heard Villager scream, and Link doesn't remember what happened."

"How curious." Dr. Mario mused as he took note of this," Have any of you asked Villager what happened?"

That option had slipped all their minds.

"Uh..." Robin started," ...No."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Mario shook his head with an amused smile on his face before turning his head to see Villager," You know, even though those four are fighters and tacticians and what-not," He said, gesturing to Pit, Dark Pit, and the Robin's," With those two having wings and those two being named after a bird, they really do have bird brains. Can't expect much from them, can ya?"

This made Villager laugh, Link chuckle, and the bird squad to turn different shades of red in shame.

Dr. Mario let out a hearty laugh himself, putting a hand on his stomach," Oh dear. Well. There evaluation will have to wait-a. Villager, do you mind telling us what happened?"

Villager's face fell as he looked away from the Doctor. He mumbled something no one could catch.

"What was that, sweetie?" Reflet called, "We need you to speak louder-"

"Link," Villager hesitated, refusing to make eye contact with the green swords man, who was looking at him in confusion,"... Link pushed me."

Silence took over the room.


	3. Thoughtful Night

**Reflet's POV**

It was around midnight and Reflet was tossing and turning in her bed, rustling her sheets as she did so. The visit to Dr. Mario's Clinic was so bizarre that she needed time to process it. She moved her white hair from her face as she pondered endlessly, rolling on her back as she looked towards the ceiling. Robin was surely asleep in the other room across from her dorm, and he hated being woken up from his slumber- Naga knew Reflet hated it too.

She pulled her blue duvet closer to her, frowning at nothing. The situation Villager and Link were in was slightly concerning. Just thinking about it made her worry for them both...

* * *

 _"Link...Link pushed me..." As soon as he said those words, two big and plump tears rolled down his cheeks. He quickly looked away from everyone, shaking in the gurney he was placed on. Reflet was just about to get up and comfort him, but Link rushed over to his side first. Obvious concern and guilt was on his face. Before he could touch Villager however, Dark Pit bolted in-between them, shielding the smaller boy from any possible danger and reaching to punch the green swordsman in the face._

 _Villager started sobbing as chaos broke out right in front of him, holding himself as if he would break apart. Dark Pit was trying to attack Link, and although Link wasn't reciprocating, he defended himself as best as he could._

 _"I'm not trying to hurt him!" Link spat out to the dark angel._

 _"Like hell you aren't!" Dark Pit retorted._

 _Reflet quickly rushed over to Villager, throwing her arms around him in an attempt to both block his view and to comfort him,"Villager, Villager- look at me okay? Shh, shh, it's okay sweetie, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." When Villager hugged her back, the tactician held him close, putting her hand through his hair," Shh, shh..."_

 _Dr. Mario immediately jumped from his seat, holding his hands out in a defensive position," Boys! Boys! Settle down! Settle down!"_

 _Robin and Pit were ready to break the fight. Both of them drabbed the dark angel, effectively restraining him," Pittoo! You are scaring Villager!"_

 _"Link was going to attack him again! I knew something was up from the moment we saw them, I knew it!" The dark angel responded._

 _Reflet scowled, turning her head to face the dark angel. Enough was enough. "Dark Pit! We already told you that fighting solves nothing!"_

 _"I'm not letting him touch a hair on the kid!"_

 _The tactician huffed. The angel was too stubborn for his own good and this conflict was unneeded and unnecessary. Without hesitation, Reflet let go of Villager, briskly walked over to the dark angel trying to break away from his restraint, and slapped him across the face," Enough!"_

 _Everyone froze. Although Dark Pit barely flinched, the hit was hard enough that a pink mark was on his right cheek. He glared at Reflet and she held his gaze, unwavering._

 _"I'm sure Villager appreciates all that you are doing on his behalf," Reflet said, shaking a finger in front of his face," But this is taking it too far. You are being reckless and jumping too quick to conclusions. Either you calm down, or you leave."_

 _As a response, Dark Pit grumbled something of an apology to everyone, his once tense wings deflated as he pulled away from Pit and Robin forcefully before sitting down on his chair. He crossed his arms and looked at his feet. Robin and Pit sighed out of relief once again before sitting in their seats. Link, deciding that now wasn't a good time to show his compassion, sat down as well, a sad look on his face. Reflet stayed by Villager's side, wiping away his tears and hugging him._

 _As soon as everyone settled down, Dr. Mario cleared his throat," So, uh, seeing that everyone is tense...I think that having EVERYONE in the same room might not be such a good idea." He ran a hand down through his hair and chuckled nervously, sitting back down in his chair," So everyone except Villager and Link is dismissed. Villager will be staying here and I'll have Link moved into another room- but-a I can't have everyone staying together as of now."_

 _Dark Pit nearly growled as he stormed off, Robin and Pit quickly following him and yelling at him to calm down. Link sighed as he took it upon himself to separate himself. Before he left the room, he gave Villager an apologetic glance. Just as Reflet was about to leave, Villager still held on to her arm in his panic._

 _"N-No! Don't go!" He stuttered, "Please d-don't go!"_

 _Reflet looked at Dr. Mario, who nodded. She then sat next to Villager on the gurney, giving him a warm smile._

 _For a while, it was silent, save for Villager's sniffles. Neither of the adults pushed further for the story, because of the child's emotional state. A lot of children looked up to Link, so being assaulted by him for whatever reason much have hurt a lot._

 _As Dr. Mario did his work on Villager's leg, that's when he spoke up," I...I was playing a prank on him," He said meekly," I went to go and put a berry in his back pocket, j-just for kicks. He caught me and instead of giving me a lecture about it like he always does when he catches me doing a prank...he...he growled at me a-and called me a brat a-and p-pushed me hard."_

 _Reflet hugged the boy once more," Thank you so much for telling us. It must be so scary to deal with that and I'm so proud of you for telling us." as she was saying that, Dr. Mario had just finished wrapping up the foot tight," Now that you are in recovery, you have to rest here until you get better- but don't worry. We will all keep you safe."_

 _Dr. Mario nodded in agreement as he examined his work," Of course we will keep you safe my-a boy! Nurse Peach and I will make sure you are all right and comfortable, and I'm sure Reflet will visit plenty, since it will take weeks for this ankle to recover. 3 tops!"_

 _Villager, feeling much better smiled, wiping away the last of his tears, "Okay...thank you!"_

 _Reflet gave him a big smile in return," You're welcome! Oh, and one more thing!" She shrugged off her cloak before handing it to the boy, who had his eyes wide open in awe, "You can have this. I know how much you like collectables, and I have a bunch of these in my closet already." After such a terrible afternoon, the tactician needed to do something to make the Villager's night._

 _Villager grabbed the heavy cloak and squealed in his glee, "Thank you so much Reffie!" He then paused, a thoughtful look on his face, "Maybe I should sprain my ankle more often...'"_

 _"Don't push it kiddo," Dr. Mario deadpanned._

* * *

Reflet sighed, turning on her side facing the wall. Villager claimed that Link was acting violent, which was very out of character for him. Yet, when Link jumped to comfort him before Dark Pit interfered, he was completely character. That and the fact that Link was looking at his hands as if he had done something so wrong, yet the confusion on his face had said he didn't know what it was that he did. It was alarming, to say the least.

The tactician made a mental note to visit both Villager and Link when the Clinic opened. This was a puzzle that needed to be resolved, and Reflet wouldn't rest until she came to a sound conclusion. She turned and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was one in the morning. She needed to sleep.

"Okay Reflet," She thought to herself, closing her eyes. "Let's try sleeping. Think of happy thoughts...happy thoughts..."

After several minutes, she started dreaming about the look on Chrom's face when he got his invitation letter to Smash, and dozed off happily into the morning.


	4. The Gossip: His Regret

**Robin's POV**

It was breakfast and Robin had just came down to the cafeteria after taking a shower and whatnot. He yawned, stretching his arms over his head before rubbing the dirt out of his eyes. He never was the morning person to begin with, so mundane tasks like this were a bit hard for someone like him to follow through. However, as much as the tactician would like to snuggle up more in his covers for an hour or two longer, if he wanted free breakfast provided by the Smash mansion, he had to be here 8:00 sharp. Robin tended to used his money on books and such, so he didn't really have much to spend in the city.

The tactician dragged himself to the Drink Area, making himself a nice cup of coffee to wake himself up more. 4 creams, 6 sugars, and just a splash of milk so that way the color would be light as caramel. He mixed his coffee carefully with a small silver spoon, the metal clinking against the purple ceramic cup. He then took a sip and flinched in disgust- this morning's coffee was too strong and he could tell King Dedede was on kitchen duty today because of this. Robin quickly added more sugar in his cup, mixed it and took a sip. That's better. Unlike his twin, Robin couldn't stand straight up black coffee.

Robin made his way over to his usual table, where he saw Lucina, Marth, Roy, Ike, and the Corrins sitting at. They all waved and Robin smiled back, quickly taking note on how none of them grabbed food. He sat down in-between Roy and Corrin's female twin, Kamui, taking another sip of his mediocre cup of coffee.

"Where is Reflet?" Kamui asked, resting her head on her hands as she leaned against the table, "Did something happen?"

Robin nodded, looking at the grey princess," Yeah- there was an incident with Villager and Link the other day, so she went to check on them in Dr. Mario's Clinic."

Kamui gasped in shock, concerned for her fellow Smashers," Oh no! What happened to them? Are they hurt?"

As Robin explained what he knew of the situation, he got mixed reactions. Ike raised an eyebrow, severely doubting that Link would ever hurt an innocent child. Lucina shook her head, frowning, disappointed that such a thing could happen in the first place. Roy got up immediately, wanting to go and check on the two himself, but Marth stopped him by grabbing his arm gently and shaking his head. Corrin was clearly struck with disbelief and Kamui was convinced that this was the most awful thing she had heard of.

"That's just awful..." Kamui muttered, looking down at the table.

"And strange," Corrin added, " If what you are saying is true then..."

"It can't be true!" Roy scowled, crossing his arms as he went deep in thought," Link would never do that- especially to a kid!"

"This certainly is something odd," Lucina mused, her frown still on her face," Come to think of it, a lot of weird things have been happening as of late."

"That is true." Marth said, nodding at his descendant," First Master Hand acts off, then Mario becomes a recluse..."

"What?" Robin cut in- he hadn't heard of that," Mario? Shutting himself in?" The tactician couldn't believe it. Mario- like his Doctorate counterpart- was one of those people who could never rest. He would always be the first one to volunteer himself to help on anything, and if he wasn't helping, he was hanging out with anyone, joking around and making people laugh... Keeping to himself was not something Mario simply did unless he was sick.

Ike nodded," Yeah, he shut himself in. Luigi and Peach are worried sick that something is wrong. He is refusing to open the door to anybody."

Robin was so astonished he nearly forgot about his coffee, "Wow... that is certainly strange..."

At that moment, Reflet came speed walking over, her own cup of coffee in her hand. She had her pink cloak on, making Robin raise an eyebrow, but she waved it off, and he trusted that she would tell him later.

"What did I miss?" The female tactician said cheerfully as she sat in the circular oak table next to Ike and Marth. When all she was met was with serious faces, her smile dropped a bit. She looked at Robin for an explanation.

Sensing that the tension in the group was too much, Robin decided to break the ice," Well we weren't talking about how you fell straight onto Palutena's-"

"I swear to NAGA Robin!" Reflet's face turned almost as red as Roy's hair as she gripped her coffee so hard her knuckles started to match her own, "ONE more word and that will be your LAST!" She growled, her brown eyes glaring daggers into his own.

Everyone in the group chuckled, wondering what could the two be talking about. Robin was trying hard to suppress a smirk and to hold his tongue. The only reason why he knew of Reflet's incident with the goddess was because he was there to witness it, and he would never let her live it down," Alright alright, settle down. We were talking about how Mario hasn't left his dorm for days. He is not even sick." The male said in a more serious tone.

Reflet sighed," I swear, this mansion keeps on getting weirder and weirder as time goes by." She paused before continuing," Villager told the truth. The cameras in the hallway show that Link did push him. What scares me is that Link really doesn't remember." She finished before taking a sip of her coffee," He was just admitted into the psychologic unit today."

Silence fell around the table for a while after that.

Robin couldn't help but wonder- why was all of this happening? These odd circumstances were happening way too close to each other to be mere coincidence. What was happening to Master Hand? Why is Mario secluding himself? Why is Link being aggressive?...Were these all linked to each other? Would anyone else act out of character?

Only time would tell, he supposed.

* * *

 **Mario's POV**

"Mario? Mario?" A soft, feminine voice was muffled by the sturdy door that separated them. A door he had locked on purpose. A door that was his barrier- to keep her safe. To keep them all safe," Please come out!" She cried," It's breakfast! Y-You need to eat!"

He knew that, and it pained him that he couldn't go and spend time with the princess and his brother. The matter of fact was that he had to be here by himself. He had to be away from everyone, no matter what. So he sat on his bed, facing the ceiling. His hat was thrown in the room somewhere and his face still stung from what he did a day ago. He put a hand on his cut, wincing at the pain. He hoped he had disinfected it correctly. He didn't have that great of healing skills like his twin had.

"M-M-Mario..." The short Italian plumber felt his heart ache. The one person that made him want to stop this was now behind the door outside his dorm," I-I-It'sa m-me...L-Luigi..." His poor brother was probably in tears by now, wondering why his big brother had stopped talking to him. Mario could feel a tear run down his cheek, but he couldn't do anything but listen.

"I-I-If this is a-about the thing th-that happned y-yesterday..." Luigi sniffled, " I-I-I'm'a sorry... I-IM SO SORRY!"

Mario leapt off his bed at that, rushing over to go to his door, undo the locks, and comfort his little brother, to tell him that he was sorry and that it was HIS fault- but he stopped himself short. He only made it to the door and pressed his palms and cheek to the door, tears spilling from his eyes as he closed them.

"Shh... there there Luigi..." the princess was quick to comfort the tall Italian in his older brothers steed," I know that Mario would never be mad at you..."

Luigi struggled to maintain his composure for Peach," H-He was mad at m-m-me...H-H-HE HATES ME!" Mario desperately wanted to say that he didn't. That he loved him and he was doing this for their sake. Yet, Mario didn't. He couldn't even trust himself to do that much.

"Let's make a quick stop to Dr. Mario's okay?" Mario heard Peach offer. Then, as if she knew he was hearing her, she called out to him," We are going to go now Mario, but we aren't giving up on you yet! I know you are doing this for a reason, but you have to trust us! At least...at least let us know you are okay..."

Mario could do nothing but hear his beloved brother's cries fade off into the distance.

It was only then, in the complete silence, did Mario allow himself to sob.


End file.
